The month of May arrived with a pleasant surprise when chess met music during the International Fide Open Rapid Rating Chess Tournament 2024 at the Rabindranath Tagore Centre, ICCR (4th–6th). Literature, music, and fine arts connoisseur Sanjoy Mitra’s aim is to bring chess’s old glory back and make it a household name. He made this possible in several parts of Bengal under the aegis of his Mitra Charitable Trust. ‘Music thrives on permutations and combinations of notes. So do the carefully calculated moves required for chess. It’s a scientific fact that both spring out from the same region of the human brain,’ emphasised the visionary who hosts warm music sit-ins at his residence to share the bliss with select invitees.

Mitra’s contagious enthusiasm and convincing concept compelled the All India Chess Federation to recognise his passion, while RS Chess Academy and Sara Bangla Daba Sangstha joined hands to make this unique event a great success. Unique because they made the entire complex throb with life by organising live tournaments at different parts of the entire building, which had several halls and passages, many of which were adorned with beautiful paintings from Mitra’s collection. Top-ranking grandmasters and young aspirants participated in this tournament to promote chess. ‘This is an attempt to weave a tapestry of all art forms. Culture is the way forward to spread the spirit of bonhomie, or fellowship! This is the thought from which all my initiatives sprout,’ admitted Mitra candidly.

As an interlude to the main event, a classical music session was organised at the Satyajit Ray Auditorium. Highly promising violinist Souparno Ghosh of Benaras Gharana, trained under several gurus, very confidently portrayed Jhinjhoti and, with its sweet melody, cast a spell on his listeners. He also played thumris like ‘Yaad piya ki aaye’ and ‘Na maanungi’ with maturity beyond his age. Next, Shreeja Halder (vocal) chose raga Kaushik-dhwani and closed with a thumri.                                                                                                                                                                             

Saaraswat Guru-vandana

An event dedicated to gurus Samaresh Chowdhury (khayal) and Vidushi Purnima Chaudhuri (thumri) was organised by Saraswat under the guidance of vocalist Silanjana Dutta (5th May, Gyan Manch). It commenced with a bang featuring internationally famed tabla virtuoso Rimpa Shiva’s solo rendition! Accompanied by Debashish Karmakar’s steady harmonium, she played teental with excellent nikas, but her habit of making it appear too laborious stays with her. She played cheezes composed by several ustads and her father-guru, Swapan Shib. The Pakhawaj anga spell and the bayan-based composition were thrilling.

A melodious finale was gifted by sarod maestro Debojyoti Bose, who straddles his political career with the same panache. His satirical remark, ‘I learned politics within the music world. Now I am directly involved’, holds truth to the core. However, his version of Gorakh Kalyan was etched very lovingly. The alap segment exploited the chords the raga creates on its own. These sounded better in the rhythmic jod, mukam-based phrases, and an assertive bol-based spell before a brief jhala. Aided by tabla virtuoso Ujjwal Bharati, he played gatkaris in rupak and teental. Ujjwal sparkled during his solo rounds in between short, crisp taans. Earlier, Silanjana, aided by tabla maestro Parimal Chakraborty and harmonium expert Hiranmay Mitra, sang raga Maru Bihag (khayals in Vilambit ektal and drut teental) with an eye for symmetry, although taans needed better polish. The concluding chaiti set to Chanchar and Kaherwa was enjoyable.

Monthly ritual

For their monthly musical event in May (16th), the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture featured Hindustani slide guitarist Rhritam Sarkar (a disciple of Pandits Debashish Bhattacharya and Shyamal Chatterjee), with the support of tabla virtuoso Chiranjit Mukherjee (a disciple of Pandit Kumar Bose). Both of them have already carved a niche for themselves in the music world. One was, therefore, taken aback when Rhitam chose Jog, a late-night raga, around 6 p.m..

But his pristine delineation compelled the raga to arrive with all its emotions encapsulated within its key phrases, only to unfurl their beauty gradually. The aesthetic application of technique helped the content pour its heart out. The gatkaris in medium chartal-ki-sawari and fast teental were reserved for skill-show. His second choice, Gorakh Kalyan, was delightful. So was the Jhinjhoti-dhun, incorporating folk tunes seamlessly. Apparently, both the musicians enjoyed each other’s company, as did the audience.

To Ma with love

Layavinyas, under the direction of its beacon, Mridangam Vidwan N Shankar, celebrated the 80th birth anniversary of his musician-musicologist mother, the late Lakshmi Narayanaswamy. This 4th Anjali in her memory, supported by Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan and Infosys Foundation (20th May, Gyan Manch), was dotted with warm felicitations of dignitaries like GV Subrahmanyam, tabla maestros Bickram Ghosh, Shubhen Chatterjee, and others.

The invocation accompanying floral tributes offered by SN to his mother set the mood for Amritalayam, presented by Layavinyas. The beautiful ensemble of vocals and instruments included ragas Hamsadhwani, Mohanam, etc., and talas like Aditala and Khanda-jaati-triputa belonging to Carnatic talas, along with their corresponding talas in the Hindustani stream. The participants were Vrinda Radhakrishnan (vocal), Anand Jayaraman (violin and inaugural stotra), Joy (zitar), Somnath Roy (ghatam), Sohon Ghosh (tabla), and Rhik Mukherjee (flute). Shankar’s mridangam received warm responses from all, and they churned out a blissful blend. An Abhang on Shiva (raga palini, fast dhumali), composed and sung by Vrinda, completed the portrait.

Rising Bharatanatyam exponent Shubhajit Dutta exhibited glimpses of the Ramayana: Shivdhanu-bhanga, Kevat’s refusal to ferry Rama, and Shabari episodes with emotion. A Varnam depicted little Krishna’s pranks and mollification of mother Yashoda and concluded with a Kirtanam, seeking the Lord’s blessings. His rendition was spectacular due to his honestly chiselled body language and soulful facial expressions. Finally, ‘Twaam-aham Vande (I salute thee)’, a famed production staged by ‘Jalsa Chandra Performing Troupe’ captivated the mind and heart of spectators due to its intrinsic deep philosophy and vibrant dance sequences conceived, choreographed, directed, and led by renowned Bharatnatyam danseuse Jalsa Chandra. Outwardly, it was a collage of rhythm, melody, and dance; it was an inward journey in reality.

Sky is the limit

‘Udaan,’ presented by Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan and Sanskriti Sagar, celebrated the soaring flight of a few very young Hindustani classical musicians, and the full house said it all (25 May, GD Birla Sabhagar). It satisfied GV Subrahmanyam, director of BV Bhavan, as this was his vision to encourage the present generation.

Sitar wizard Mehtab Ali Niazi of Bhendibazar Gharana commenced the evening with a peaceful alap in raga Bihag. After the raga revelation in the lower octave, the arrival at the tonic, the treatment of key phrases around Ga Pa Ni with loving meends, the soft bends highlighting volume variations, and the mellifluous upper octave, all portrayed the raga very sensitively within ten minutes. Assured by tabla virtuoso Debjit Patitundi’s steady fingers, the showman within Niazi was tempted to choose a jhaptal gat with a complex gait and show off intricate laya-chhandakari. He kept flitting from one composition to another, displaying different angles of raga and his innovative mind. This was enough to vouch for his rich collection of compositions and firm grip on tala. The replies by Tabla were as confident. A variety of taans displaying his technical prowess tapered down once he entered the alap within Jhala and came to a serene close.

The next two artists of the evening, Yashwant Vaishnav (tabla solo) and Indrayudh Majumdar (sarod), along with his tabla accompanist, Ishaan Ghosh, are names to be reckoned with! Supported by a very young Amaan Hussain (sarangi) and Akash Jalmi (harmonium), Yashwant gifted a thrilling recital in teen The spirit of Raga Bihag was invoked a second time by Indrayudh, but in his own style. Ishaan’s rhythmic inputs added extra verve to their recital.

The writer is a senior music critic